Partially because we enjoy the stop, but mostly because the Delaware Bay was a mess, we cooled our heels for a few days of R&R in Cape May.
October 17 – 19, 2021 Cape May, NJ Days 6-7-8
We arrived in Cape May knowing the forecast for traveling up the Delaware Bay was not awesome, and wouldn’t be awesome for the foreseeable future. That was actually OK with us, for a while anyway. We had been traveling every day since leaving Rhode Island a week ago and were ready to chill for a day or so in one spot. And if you’re going to hang, Cape May is a good place for it.
After doing City Island, NY to Barnegat Bay, NJ in one day, we finished off the Jersey Shore portion of the trip south in two 35-mile breezy but successful days.
October 16 – 17, 2021 Forked River NJ, Atlantic City NJ and Cape May NJ Days 5 & 6
We’ve started to like doing at least parts of the New Jersey shore inside on the New Jersey ICW. We found ourselves in Forked River, NJ in Barnegat Bay at the urging of friends, and we loved it. Going there also got us inside the Jersey coast, and allowed us to continue south even in a very blustery southerly when conditions outside along the shore would have been prohibitive.
Starting with sunrise on a glassy calm East River, we enjoyed the awe of Manhattan, a placid Atlantic Ocean along the Jersey Shore, some crazies in Manasquan, a summer-like day on Barnegat Bay, and a unique ride up the Forked River.
Friday, October 15, 2021 City Island, New York City, Manasquan and Forked River, NJ Day 4
We started out with coffee pre-dawn, and watched the morning glow develop on the eastern horizon on a warm, clear, glassy calm morning. Just beautiful. The plan for the day was the classic run down the East River, which is always a thrill, then ending up somewhere in New Jersey, depending on our progress and conditions.
The last two times we have done this October trip down Long Island Sound, we were battered by freezing temps and constant northwest gales. This year it is an entirely different game.
October 13 – 14, 2021 Stonington, CT, Milford, CT and City Island, NY Days #2 & #3
What an outstanding trip down Long Island Sound we have had. Two picture perfect days, with runs of 55 miles and 42 miles. Flat water, sunshine (mostly), dry and clear. Mornings have been perfectly crisp, afternoons relatively warm, and evenings simply pleasant. Such a change from our previous trips, which were characterized by ice on the decks, three-day gales that pinned us down on both sides of the Sound, and making mad dashes from one port to another — any port that was safe — during the brief lulls in the nasty weather. We were braced for it again this year, but we need not have worried.
Picking good conditions for a first day of a long trip is a great thing to do if you can pull it off. We made it happen this time.
October 13, 2021 Portsmouth, RI to Stonington, CT Day #1
Our departure dates are always a moving target. We set a goal date, but stuff always happens to cause us to shift earlier or later. This time, a howling storm off the coast caused us to pause for a day or three to let things quiet down before we cast off.
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